Bolingbrook purportedly has nine Division I players on its roster, and the Raiders came to Phoenix to win the Joe Smith Division and go on to win the national title.

And since Stewart, a long and skilled wing, made just three baskets all game, it certainly added up to a Bolingbrook romp – except for one little detail: The Raiders couldn't make a shot.

They struggled all night, building a six-point second-quarter lead but quickly giving it back, and couldn't put the pesky Northstars away. It was basically a one-point game all through the second and third quarters, with Bolingbrook missing easy shots and Cicero-North somehow hanging around.

And then, when Brittany Paul hit a 3-pointer with 2:20 left, suddenly the Northstars were up 37-35, and it began to dawn on Bolingbrook that the Raiders might actually lose the game. And then when Stewart scored on a drive and converted the and-one, it was 40-35 with a minute left – and panic began to set in.

But Bolingbrook got a hoop to cut it to three, Cicero-North missed a free throw, and the Raiders had a chance to tie with 12 seconds left. Tuck, known more for her power than finesse, took an inbounds pass beyond the arc and calmly drained a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left to tie the game.

Bedlam for Bolingbrook – but only briefly. The Northstars broke the press, and there was Paul all alone in the corner. The 3 went up and found nothing but net, and though Tuck's half-court attempt hit the rim as the buzzer sounded, Cicero-North had pulled off what one long-time observer said was "the biggest upset he'd ever seen."

And speaking of the sound of balloons being punctured, there was No. 5 MacArthur (Irving, Texas), watching the air go out of the Lone Star State dirigible, as Windward (Los Angeles) rode 28 points from point guard Jordin Canada to a 60-56 win. The Cardinals were up 10 early in the second half but superstar Alexis Jones wasn't quite steady enough to keep MacArthur on course, so the Cardinals join Bolingbrook on the wrong side of the bracket.